My husband and I just got back from our honeymoon in Maui and man oh man, what a BEAUTIFUL place. I can see why many people have a hard time coming back. I know I’ll be having the vacation blues for awhile, but besides the endless perfect scenery, I will be missing all the great food in Maui.

I did my due diligence as well as getting great recommendations from people who have been to Maui and I can honestly say I didn’t have one bad meal. Here are some of my best Maui wowie foodie experiences!

Merriman’s

I made a last minute reservation for Merriman’s as a huge push from one of my coworkers. I was skeptical as I only had one night open for this and it was arrival day.

It is a beautiful open air restaurant close to the Ritz Carlton. Too bad it was already dark when we got in as we got a nice little table by the ocean. We tried the ahi poke with taro chips as an app. I was definitely impressed with the presentation as it was served over ice. The tuna was fresh and melted in my mouth almost like butter. We decided to do half orders of the Mahi Mahi and Colorado lamb chops. Boy did I regret getting a half order of the chops, it was probably the best tasting lamb chop I’ve ever had. Very woodsy with a strong gamey flavor that I come to love about lamb. So good! The mahi was sort of forgettable compared to that!

Lahaina Grill

Lahaina Grill is a cute bistro right in the heart of downtown Lahaina, a famous whaling town and previous capital of Hawaii. It now swells with many tourists visiting the great art galleries, restaurants and shops. We tried the local beers (LOVED the Bikini Blond). I had the Tequila shrimp and Firecracker Rice (butterflied white shrimp in tequila butter!). The shrimps were huge and tasted like mini lobster tails while the sauce had sort of a curry kick which I enjoyed. My husband had the Sesame Seed Crusted Seared Ahi and said at the end of the trip, it was the best dish he had all week!

Ululani’s Shaved Ice

Ok, now this was probably one of my favorite food places in Maui. So good, we went back twice to two different locations. Ranked number 1 and 2 on Trip Advisors in Maui, I can totally see why. This isn’t like your average sno cone, the shaved ice here is so fine, the texture is absolutely amazing, not like crunchy ice. Defnitely order one with coconut or macadamia nut ice cream on the bottom. It’s like a bonus on top of a bonus. I tried to do a lot of Hawaiian sounding flavors like Guava, lychee, passion orange and pickled mango. All refreshing. And I topped mine off with a “snow cap” which is like condensed milk that they pour over the ice. YUMMY!

Feast at Lele

We were in Hawaii for the first time so we had to be super tourists and do a luau. The luau I chose was a little different in that they served us food to our table (as oppose to a regular buffet style). And instead of just Hawaii, the luau showcased many of the Polynesian islands. We had four courses and each course had three dishes from a specific island and then a related show. It was Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti and New Zealand. Truthfully, we had so much to eat, none of the dishes were really standouts, but the whole experience was pretty cool and something a newbie should do.

Koiso Sushi

I wanted to try the top sushi in Maui and this constantly came up on my research. It is in a inconspicuous plaza and a tiny space of a restaurant. Just a sushi bar and then one table. Probably room for about 14 people, definitely recommendations were needed as many people were turned away in the course of our meal. There was one sushi chef, who was the owner and his wife was the waitress.

We had the sashimi sampler and then a chef’s choice platter which was about 14 pieces of his most fresh seafood of the day. Definitely authentic and simple. About half the customers there were Japanese and seemed like locals as they knew the chef and his wife, so I gave myself kudos of finding something off the beaten path. I had some amazing bites of toro and who knows what else. I just know it was REALLY good and fresh tasting.

Ferraro’s

This was located in the Four Seasons hotel where we were staying at the second half of our trip. I wanted to try one of the resort’s restaurants and Ferraro’s did not disappoint. The beef carpaccio was wonderfully executed. Buttery and meaty. And the Frutti Di Mare (Linguine with seafood and spicy tomato sauce) was a nice departure from all the other foods we’ve been eating. I love me some pasta. It was super dark, opened air and romantic inside (hence the light up menu and cocktails ipad).

Mama’s Fish House

Last but certainly not least, was my FAVORITE place in Maui that we tried. Mama’s was our last stop right before we had to fly out and I am so glad we decided to end our trip with this. Mama’s has the reputation and ranking as one of the top restaurants in Hawaii and I concur. It is quintessential Hawaiian decor, right by the ocean with the huge North shore waves. We got an AWESOME table in the front overlooking the waves (always milk the honeymoon card!) I kept looking around and thinking how nice the atmosphere was. It’s not fancy pants nice, it just puts you in the Hawaiian mood. The menu was cool because it even tells you the name of the fishermen who caught your potential dinner and where.

We each got delicious fruity drinks (I got the guava lemonade fizz), and the lobster guacamole as an app. It was the BEST guac I’ve ever had. Big chunks of lobster and I really enjoyed the subtle ginger and onion taste. Different, yet so yum. I almost licked the bowl when I was sadly finished.

I ordered the mahi mahi stuffed with lobster and crab with a macadamia nut crust (one of their most popular dish). The first bite was heaven. I am actually not even a huge fan of fish (I rarely order at restaurants), but it was seriously the best bite of fish I’ve had to date. The combo of the fresh mahi, with the savory crab and lobster finished with the crunchyness of the crust. AMAZING.